Berry-box



(No Model.)

E. M. THOMPSON.

BERRY BOX. No. 361,557. Patented Apr. 19, 1887.

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EVERT M. THOMPSON, OF EVANSVILLE, INDIANA.

BERRY-BOX.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent Np. 361,557, dated April19, 1887. Application filed January 29, 1887. Serial No. 225,945. (Nomodel.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EVERT M. THOMPSON, of Evansville, county ofVanderburg and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Berry-Boxes; and I do hereby declare that the followingis a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings, in which like letters refer to like parts.

My invention relates to the construction of small boxes from blanks ofthin wood, and intended to hold berries for shipment, and will beunderstood from the following description.

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents a perspective view of the box madeup. Fig. 2 is atop view of the two blanks crossing one another, thescores in which the blanks are to be bent up indicated by the dottedlines.

Each box is made of two blanks which are shaped a1ike,and one is laidacross and at right angles to the other, making the bottom of the boxdouble, as indicated. in Fig. 2. Each blank has tabs or splints 252! ateach end, preferably two, with an opening between them to allowventilation of the berries, and substantially in line with the bottom ofthis opening each blank is scored transversely across its width to allowthe splint ends to be bent up along the scores in shaping the box. Thesplint ends of the blank are bent up at right angles to the bottom, andone blank thus bent up is set across at right angles to the other, sothat the splints of one blank form two sides, and the splints of theother blank form the two other sides of the box. An outside bindinghoop,71, or an inside hoop, h, or both, are then set in the position shown inFig. 1, and nailed through the splints with small nails, supporting thebox at all points and holding it in proper position, no other meansbeing used to fasten the blanks together. A box made in this way issubstantially square on the bottom and a little less in height than thedimensions of the bottom.

It will be seen that the ends of the tabs or splints project above thehoop h some distance, and this peculiar construction is the essentialfeature of my invention. These boxes are intended to hold berries, andare necessarily small, the custom of the trade generally demanding thatthey shall hold a quart, especially as regards strawberries.

These boxes when first filled must be heaped up, so that when theberries have settled from the jostle of transportation the'box will atleast be level full. Again,these small baskets or boxes must ofnecessity be packed in large boxes called crates, which usually containabout sixteen of the one-quart baskets,and in filling this crate itbecomes necessary to place the small baskets in tiers one above anotherin order to make a compact square-shaped crate.

In ordinary baskets,after they are-filled level full at first, theysettle during transportation, so that when they reach the retailer theboxes do not appear to be full, and are unsalable. Again,if they arefilled heaping full when put into the crate, being in tiers one aboveanother, such packing mashes the berries. In order to avoid thedifficulties and objections just mentioned, I have devised the basketherein shown, whose splints or tabs project above the binding-hoopsinthe manner shown. Now, in these baskets the berries may be heaped up andthe package appear very full, and yet the contents are protected frominjury in transportation. After my baskets are placed in tiers in theshipping-crate and are full of berries, the upper ends of the splintswill still be above the berries, and in packing them in crates, afterputting one layer of these boxes in place, a thin sheet of wood isplaced on top, and is supported by and rests upon the projecting ends ofthese splints, and this thin sheet of wood answers as a floor upon whichto set the next tier of baskets,and in this manner I can fill the cratewith any number of baskets withoutinjury to the berries. Again, thispeculiar construction of the box with the projecting splints providesample ventilation for the berries between the layers of wood, a thinggreatly to be desired in the transportation of small fruits.

I am aware that berry-boxes have been made of blanks of thin wood havingopenings in the sides for ventilation, and having a single pair ofsplints projecting above the sides to support the cover,and I donot,broadly,c1ain1 the same as my invention; but none of these have beenformed of splints crossing each other at right angles, and the ends ofthe splints projecting on sides and ends above the points where they aresecured together in the manner herein shown.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Let- 1 2. A berry-box formed oftwo blanks laid crosswise, their ends cut out to form tabs with 15openings between them, scored across their width, and bent 'up in thescores, secured 1n position by one or more binding-hoops, the ends ofthe tabs projecting above such hoops, substantially as shown anddescribed.

Signed by me January 22, 1887.

EVERT M. THOMPSON.

VVi t n esses:

SIMEON JOSEPH, WILL W. READ.

